Best Intentions
by Darth Shatner
Summary: A starship on a covert mission finds Voyager, lifeless and drifting in the Alpha Quadrant. What they find on board will lead to a race against time, not only to save Voyager’s crew, but the entire Federation.
1. An Unexpected Find

_Author's note: _

_This story is a bit of a "what if". I don't know if you'd call it an AU, but I've always enjoyed playing around with timelines. Too much Dr Who I guess. So anyway, here it goes…_

---oOo---

_2381. Ten years after USS Voyager was transported to the Delta Quadrant……_

Captain Nicholas Andreas emerged from the turbolift and turned right, eliciting a smile and an "Evening sir" from a young ensign who was waiting outside to catch it. He dabbed a napkin to his mouth as he walked, hoping to remove any final traces of the dessert he had just consumed in the mess hall. In his other hand was a thick, leather bound book. Stopping outside a door, he turned and - ignoring the chime button - knocked hard on the metal panel.

"Stupid chimes still drive me nuts", he thought to himself, just as a muffled "come in, Captain" issued from inside the quarters and the door slid open.

Inside an Asian woman was sitting, staring at a computer terminal which was slowly scrolling through some report or technical readout. She touched a button on the terminal and made to stand as the captain entered the room.

Andreas waved a hand dismissively, causing her to resume her seat. He smiled at her.

"Commander Lim" he said, pulling up the adjacent chair.

"Captain Andreas" she responded, a little more formally as she smoothed a wrinkle in her uniform. "I figured it was you"

"A little late to be reading ship's reports isn't it?" Andres responded. "We missed you at dinner tonight"

In fact it wasn't the first time the Commander had skipped dinner, he thought to himself. Outside of their duty stations, the crew barely saw the commander at all. Andreas thought about broaching the subject with her, but decided to leave it alone for now. Sometimes people just needed some space.

"I just wanted to go over a few things" She glanced at the book in his left hand. "Been doing some reading yourself sir?"

Captain Andreas flipped the book over so that the spine faced the commander. She tilted her head to read the title imprinted along it

"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" she read aloud.

"It's a great book. You're welcome to borrow it when I've finished"

"Umm…I've never really been into classic literature" Lim responded. "Trashy holo-novels are about my limit"

The captain smirked

"But anyway sir, you needed me for something?"

"Oh, nothing urgent" he replied. "I was actually just wandering back to my quarters. I thought I'd stop in before knocking off for the night". He paused briefly.

Come to think of it – has there been any update on the probes from Wilson yet?"

"Not yet sir. I checked in two hours ago and he was still going over some of the probe configurations. They've been having problems with some of the scanner setups."

"He did say that things are looking promising", she added, "and that he believes the probe deployment can still go ahead as planned tomorrow."

"Good….good."

There was another few seconds of awkward silence. Andreas surmised that he would get little conversation out of the commander tonight.

Hmmm, well, Wilson's probably turning in now too. I'll check with him first thing tomorrow"

"Very good sir"

The captain got up from the chair to leave. The commander followed his lead and stood.

Andreas tapped his book. "Well, I'm going to get in a few more chapters before getting to sleep."

He turned to leave, then paused.

"Sarah" he said in a fatherly tone of voice. "You've been working extremely hard lately. Why don't you get in a few hours on the holodeck with one of those 'trashy' novels of yours"

The commander smiled briefly again "I'll try sir".

"Well …..goodnight Commander"

'Goodnight sir'

The door slid open as the captain left the room, heading for his quarters, leaving the room in silence. Sarah returned to her chair and resumed studying the terminal readout. After a few minutes, she found herself staring off into space again. Rising, she snapped the terminal shut and headed out into the now deserted corridor outside her quarters. She scanned the corridor then, turning, she headed for the turbolift. The door slid open; she entered the lift, and then stopped. For a brief moment, Sarah almost considered taking the captain up on his advice, but decided that she couldn't stomach a holo-novel right now.

She gave the command for the turbolift to head for the bridge.

---oOo---

The bridge door opened to reveal an area largely devoid of people and activity. Only four crewmembers were at their stations, and the bridge lights were dimmed, giving the room a feel quite different to when it was daytime. Of course "day" and 'night" aboard a starship were abstract concepts, but the changes helped the crew keep in step with their body's needs for activity and sleep, as well as helping to ward off disorientation.

A stocky blonde woman occupied the captain's chair. A middle-aged Bajoran male was at Ops. A Vulcan male, who looked to be around 40 was at the tactical station. Lastly a young man, barely beyond his teens, was at the helm.

In contrast to the atmosphere on the bridge, the view screen showed a scene that was anything but devoid of activity. Out ahead, it displayed a massive cloud of swirling gas and particles. The screen itself flickered every minute or so, the result of strong electronic interference. The crew turned to face the new presence, then acknowledged the commander formally when they realised who had just emerged through the doors.

The stocky blonde rose from the captain's chair and made way, expecting the commander to sit. Sarah instead remained standing, but turned to face her.

"Any change in status Lieutenant?" Lim queried.

"No m'am. No signs of any other vessels, Romulan or otherwise. Engineering continues to report full power available. All shipboard systems within limits."

"We're continuing to run the scans requested by Lieutenant Wilson prior to the probe launches tomorrow. she added. "Obviously, we can only get extremely limited range, due to all this EM interference, but it all looks good".

"Very good" the commander responded.

The commander strode over to the tactical station. The Vulcan male, who had returned to scanning intently following the commanders entrance, rose and moved aside. The commander scanned the readouts scrolling across the screen, then smiled briefly at the Vulcan before backing away. As he made to resume pouring over the data, Sarah made for the captains chair.

As the ensign who occupied it moved an adjacent station, Sarah settled into the captain's seat. She gave a cursory look to the computer display embedded into the armrest, then stared out through the viewer at the maelstrom that surrounded them.

For several minutes the bridge crew kept glancing across at the commander from their stations, all wondering what the commander was doing on the bridge so late, waiting for some instruction or changes to their mission. But none came. Gradually they drifted back to their own worlds, privately wishing their superior would return to her quarters for some well deserved sleep.

The interest in the Commander Lim's sleep habits was not all pragmatic of course. One of the advantages of being on the "night shift" was the absence of senior personnel. Crew assigned to the night roster did what was required of them of course, as would any Starfleet officer. Indeed the night shift engineering crew maintained that they ran the warp drive a fraction of a percentage more efficiently than their daytime counterparts. But there was always a different, more casual feel to the ship at night.

But that feel was absent from the bridge at this very moment, as Commander Lim continued to survey the main viewer. The blonde Lieutenant, who had relinquished the Captain's chair for the second's position some minutes earlier, stole a glance at the commander and noticed that although gazing intently at the viewer, she seemed to be lost in her thoughts. And she was.

Sarah Lim - Starfleet officer. Several years ago she had been content with her civilian career in medicine. After her graduation, she had been appointed to a prime research position based in Zurich. For someone in their late twenties, who could ask for much more? And then she met Jack.

Jack had been a Starfleet engineer based in San Francisco. He was tall, he was intelligent. He was charming and witty. It was almost love at first sight. It hadn't taken long for a relationship to blossom between the pair. They met whenever they could. Cafés in the Swiss Mountains, walks by the San Francisco Bay shores. With the availability of transporters, shuttles and the like, living on opposite sides of the Earth hadn't been a problem.

The problem was her job. While her relationship with Jack grew, her career seemed to stagnate. Her area of research just wasn't in vogue anymore, and many of the people she looked up to in her department moved to other areas. Her friends kept imploring her to get out too.

"You're wasting yourself here," they would say. "You've got such a great brain on your shoulders, you should change direction".

"Why not move to one of the major offworld teaching hospitals. Or maybe Harvard Medical. Or Starfleet."

Starfleet had seemed like the answer to her problems. And Jack was only too keen to help her through the enlistment process. And though she was offered a position with Starfleet Medical on Earth, she had chosen instead to take a promising position as second in command of the medial team on the research vessel _USS Nova_. Finally, things were back on track. Her commander had soon taken her aside and told her she had the makings of a Chief Medical Officer. Maybe she would even get her own starship one day.

With all so much research to do, so many papers to write and submit, with all the prospects of promotion hanging in front of her, she barely noticed that she and Jack were going separate ways. Holo-messages and the occasional shore leave simply didn't make up for the months spent apart.

By the time she was promoted to Chief Medical Officer, the letters had finally stopped. Now here she sat, with the rank of Commander and second in command of the _USS Anzac_. And Jack was far away, living a separate life back on Earth, a life that she could have been a part of. Somehow now her current rank, the accolades she had received, the genuine encouragement from senior staff, meant much less now than it did before. She realised that the last time she had been truly happy was with Jack. And now Jack was gone.

"Commander"

Sarah startled and jumped. Momentarily disoriented, she looked around for the source of the voice.

"_Commander_"

Is was Muroc. She fought to regain her composure.

"Yes, Muroc"

"Commander, I am detecting an object off the port bow…….it appears to be a vessel of some kind"

Sarah tensed. Had they been found already, before they could carry out their mission? There were certainly no other fleet movements in this area of space, and given the current situation it was unlikely any civilain vessel would risk a journey into this part of the quadrant. Which appeared to leave only one possible explanation. Romulans.

Sarah addressed the Vulcan. "Is it a Romulan ship?"

"Please stand by, I am having difficultly penetrating the EM interference with our scans" came the response. The Vulcan was hunched over his station, while he made small adjustments with both hands on the system panel.

Commander Lim was about to order the ship to red alert, when the Vulcan cut her off.

"Commander, the vessel is definitely not Romulan."

"In fact" - he turned, and raised his left eyebrow as he continued – "it appears to be Federation."

"Federation? Are you sure?"

Theoretically, it wasn't possible for an 'emotionless' Vulcan to be hurt at having their judgment questioned, but despite this apparent fact Muroc's facial expression was doing a good impersonation of it.

He glanced back at his display, and then turned to the commander again.

"Confirmed, commander. The vessel is definitely Federation"

Sarah pondered this for a moment, then hit the comm key on her chair panel.

---oOo---

Captain Andres stood in the middle of a grassy field. Above him, forms whirled and dived, streaking across the sky. One group wore red and gold attire, the other green and silver. Around him, a crowd numbering in the thousands clapped and sang some sort of squad chant for the two teams. No-one seemed to notice the captain standing in the field of play.

The red and gold team gathered and moved as one toward the opposing end of the field, with green blurs closely behind. A ball was thrown thrown from the melee, passing neatly through a small hoop above the sideline, and a loud clang resounded. Goal! The crowd let out an appreciative roar.

Andres decided to get a better vantage point to watch this amazing match, and suddenly found himself in the stands, high above his former viewpoint. He looked around slowly and found himself surrounded by a sea of red and gold flags. Scarcely had he decided to join in with their chanting, when he heard a strange hum.

What was it? He tried to ignore it and concentrate and the game , but found his vision was blurring.

There it was again. And a voice. Or possibly several, he wasn't sure. Several players stopped and turned towards him, looks of annoyance on their faces.

Suddenly, a burly Klingon elbowed him aside, grabbed a nearby broom, and took off after one of the goal keepers. As he fought to regain his balance, a pack of Ferengi ran past him, their hands overflowing with gold, followed shortly by a very angry Gringots bank teller. Something fell from his hand, and landed with a loud thud.

He woke up. Nicholas found himself in his cabin.

The heavy leather-bound book lay on the floor, beside his bed. The comm panel behind his head sounded again.

"Captain, please report". It was Commander Lim. The captain glanced across at the panel time display. It was 2.15am.

"Commander" he said, with some exasperation. "It's 2.15 in the morning. What are you still doing on the bridge?"

"Captain, I" she stammered before recomposing herself. "Captain, we have encountered another ship." She paused. "It appears to be a Federation vessel."

His curiosity aroused, the captain made a note to forgive questioning the commander for her late night working habits. His voice lightened considerably.

"I'll be right up commander"

Andreas dressed quickly, snapped on his com badge, replaced the fallen book on his bedside dresser and strode out the door of his cabin towards the turbolift. A minute or so later he emerged onto the bridge.

There was now considerably more activity and chatter on the bridge than when Commander Lim had first arrived.

"Captain". It was the commander.

"The ship came out of nowhere on our port side. We didn't pick it up until we were only about ten kilometers out, due to all this EM interference from the nebula."

Andreas turned to face the view screen. It still flickered with electrical interference, but through the haze was the definite outline of a federation starship. As he watched, he noticed that it did not keep station with the _Anzac_. Instead it was rolling slowly to starboard. Whoever they were, they obviously had no engines.

"Life signs?" Andres questioned to no-one in particular.

It was the Vulcan who responded. "I am not picking up any life signs Captain, but I am getting some low level power readings"

The captain leant forward, resting his chin in his hand and stroked his beard. The starship was beginning to grow in size and they edged ever closer.

"Intrepid class, if I'm not mistaken" he muttered to himself, rubbing his chin

"Look at the hull!" a voice exclaimed. It was the young ensign currently at the helm.

As the crew looked with renewed interest, they began to notice various scorch marks on the hull. Not just one or two either. Indeed it seemed that almost every large surface of the ship had been scarred in some way. She had obviously seen heavy combat.

"Weapons fire" the captain uttered aloud, again to no-one in particular. He continued to stroke his beard, racking his mind for possible explanations. Whatever it was, signs of combat were unlikely to be positive.

"It might be time for shields" said the Captain in low voice, as he continued to attempt to assess the situation.

The Vulcan pressed at several points on the panel in front of him. The ship's computer let out a tone in response.

"Shields up captain".

"Helm, keep taking us in, nice and slow".

"Confirmed sir, ahead one eighth impulse" came the response from the ensign at the helm.

The ship continued to grow in the main viewer.

"Computer" called the captain. It bleeped in recognition. "Can you access the registry of the Federation vessel currently off our port side?"

_Negative. Vessel does not currently have IFF activated_

"Hmmm.". More beard stroking.

"Computer, main viewer zoom to the vessel's front quarter".

The computer obliged. The saucer section of the mystery ship now filled the viewscreen. The flickering from the interference remained.

"I can't make out the nameplate, can you commander?" Andreas asked.

"No sir. There's a scorch mark over the ship's name" She paused. "I can just make out part of the registry number. …6…5…6….I think"

There was several seconds' silence. Muroc was the next to speak.

"Captain, there is only one _Intrepid_-class vessel with those numbers in its designation."

He turned again towards the captain and commander, and raised his eyebrow in a gesture of astonishment before he spoke again.

"_USS…Voyager_"


	2. Freeport

_Author's note: _

_In case you wondered what happened to me, Ihadn't forgotten this story. A very busy period at work, combined with a couple of re-writes meant that all my noble intentions of getting this next chapter done sooner were shot. _

_Thanks to firebirdgirl, Jesper, dragonstorm06, Becky, and didi for your reviews so far. I hope the suspense wasn't killing you... _

_Thanks too to firebirdgirl for the corrections - I don't know how "Catherine" got by me either /_

_Anyway - no more excuses - on with the story..._

_---oOo---_

_Captain's Log, Stardate 53080.2_

_Voyager has entered a region of space known as the Denari expanse. Rather than being under the control of a central government, this region of space is divided up into areas run by loose-knit family clans. Thus far, our journey through this region of space has proven unusually peaceful. According to passing traders, the main danger here seems to be pirates – no doubt due to the lack of a formal government or patrolling force. However we have yet to encounter any suspicious activity. _

_Unusually, the Denari clans are not made up of any single alien race, but rather a mix of humanoid species that have blended together over thousands of years. We have been able to negotiate our passage through this area quite easily; the clans we have contacted thus far seem content to allow relatively free movement of ships through their territory, and our presence has been greeted with a great deal of curiosity_

_We are currently on course for a space station known as Freeport, part of a mining operation in the area. We have obtained permission from the governing clan here to stop and resupply our ship, and expect to arrive soon._

Tom Paris locked his fingers together and stretched out his arms above his head. He sat at the conn, watching the star trails flash past on the main viewer.

"Keep you awake, Mr Paris?"

Tom turned to see Captain Janeway smiling at him.

"No _ma'am_" he replied, a little sarcastically. Chakotay laughed.

"The last minutes before reaching the end of a journey always seem the longest" Chakotay added. Tom turned back to his station, nodding in agreement as he did so.

"Don't I know it? Mind you, these past few entire _weeks_ haven't exactly been exciting either you know" replied Tom.

"Personally, I'm actually enjoying the fact that it's so peaceful around here". Janeway answered. "It's refreshing to just be able to cruise through space, without having to battle every inch of the way"

"Yeah, be careful what you wish for Tom" Harry chimed in. "If we start getting shot at by some angry alien species, I'm blaming you."

At this remark, everyone on the bridge, bar Tuvok of course, laughed.

It _had_ been wonderfully peaceful, Janeway thought to herself. They had rarely managed to go this long without becoming involved in some conflict or other. It had been a time for the crew to relax, and for Voyager to lick her wounds. There had been time to attend to all the minor repairs that were often overlooked in more dangerous circumstances, time to reorganise crew rosters, try out some new sensor techniques.

In short, they were able to undertake some of the more mundane activities that the crew of a starship took for granted. It had been a refreshing change, and one that the crew seemed grateful for. If only the rest of the journey home would prove so easy.

As if to try and prove her wrong, the computer suddenly beeped an alert. Janeway tensed for a moment, then relaxed again when she realised that it had come from the conn.

Tom confirmed her suspicion. "We are approaching the coordinates for Freeport station Captain"

"Good. Prepare to drop out of warp"

Tom made some adjustments to the panel in front of him as he prepared to bring the ship back to conventional drive.

"Standby" Tom added, then made a final adjustment. Behind him, various displays on the bridge scrolled and flashed as _Voyager's_ main computers began to make the billions of separate calculations required to transition out of warp drive, and deliver the ship to the exact coordinates specified.

"Mark" said Tom. Ahead on the viewer, Janeway watched as the white trails fell away, to be replaced by a blanket of unmoving stars. The bluish sun of the system in which Freeport was located rushed towards them, slowing quickly to become a steady glowing point in space.

"Freeport station dead ahead of us" relayed Tom. "Just beyond the second planet"

Kathryn couldn't yet make out the station – it was too far away. But she could just see the second planet in the light from its sun. She ordered Voyager to full impulse – there seemed no point in hanging around.

The second planet began to grow in size in the main viewer. It looked to be a dull grey waterless rock, though no doubt the wealth of mineral deposits revealed by Voyager's scans made it anything but dull for the mining colonies dotted about it's surface.

As they moved toward the planet, the crew's attention now turned to Freeport station. The station appeared to be a smooth spherical structure from a distance, but as Voyager drew closer they noticed various bumps and openings across its surface, as well as a mass of communications arrays and sensors facing the planet below. No doubt practical concerns had been far more important than aesthetics in its design. Tom began to orient the ship to enter a docking port on the station's outer surface.

Several minutes later, a slight shudder through the deck told them that the docking clamps were secured to the ship, and Tom began to power down the engines. Around them, ships of varying sizes – mostly traders and cargo vessels from what Janeway could make out - were lined along the inner walls of the station. Though most at a cursory glance appeared warp-capable, none was as sleek as Voyager.

Soon after, at the Captain's request, B'Elanna, Neelix and the Doctor made their way to the bridge. Now Janeway rose from her chair, and turned to address the assembled crew.

"Well everyone, we have a few days up our sleeves, so let's make the most of it.

"Chakotay, I'd like you to organise shore leave rosters for the crew, starting with the next shift. Let's give everyone a chance to stretch their legs.

"No problem" he replied.

B'Elanna, this looks to be the kind of place that sells almost anything, so if there are any spares you need, now's the time.

"I've already got a list" B'Elanna responded, tapping a PADD in her hand.

"Tuvok, Can you ensure that all normal security procedures for space dock are in place. I don't want anyone walking off with the warp drive"

Janeway's quip produced some muffled laughter. She turned to Neelix.

"Neelix, I presume you'll want to procure some stores for your kitchen - well, you have my permission. Just make sure it's nothing too exotic"

"I think that means 'No more Galvordian chilli stew'" added Chakotay.

"Yeah, that sure gave a new meaning to 'red alert'" added Tom.

Neelix looked askance with embarrassment. He figured that it would take several more weeks before the crew would forgive him for that particular meal.

"As for the rest of you" added the Captain, "you have your assignments, so let's get to work. And don't forget to enjoy your time off the ship – it might be some time until we get another opportunity. Dismissed"

The command staff filed off the bridge, leaving Chakotay and the Captain alone.

"Crew's been looking forward to this" Chakotay mentioned casually.

"Well, it certainly makes a change from endless weeks cruising through space, peaceful though they've been." replied Janeway.

"Are you taking a break as well?"

"Are you kidding?" replied Kathryn. "I'm taking advantage of this lull while it lasts. We have no idea what's ahead of us, so I figure that I may as well get in some time to relax before then".

"What about you Chakotay, any plans while we're docked here?"

"Well" he said with a wry smile, "I was hoping to have dinner with a certain starship Captain. The same Captain who stood me up the other week?"

"Stood you up?" responded Janeway "There was the small matter on me being stuck on a damaged shuttle in the middle of an ion storm, two light years from _Voyager_!"

They laughed together.

"Well, you can make it up to me tonight. Say eight pm, Holodeck one? I know a nice little restaurant in Berlin"

"Look Chakotay, much as I'm enjoying this, we can't stand around here all day talking, we've got work to do".

She turned away and headed for the turbolift, leaving a confused Chakotay standing in the middle of the bridge.

"Oh, see you at eight" she added, just before entering the lift.

The doors swooshed shut behind her, leaving a smiling Chakotay alone.

_---oOo---_

_Captain's Log, Supplemental_

_We have now been docked at the Freeport station for five days. The crew has been enjoying the chance for some shore leave, even if it is only aboard a space station. Meanwhile, I have been trying to build alliances with some more of the Denari clans who are here on the station, in preparation for our journey across more of the expanse. To this end I am arranging a dinner for some of the clan elders aboard Voyager tonight. Hopefully we will be able to keep moving through this part of space without any problems._

_Barring any mishaps, we aim to depart the station tomorrow at 10:00 hours and resume our journey home._

The chime in the Captain's quarters sounded. Janeway closed the terminal display on her desk.

"Come in!"

The door slid open, and Tuvok entered.

"Good afternoon, Mr Tuvok. Please, have a seat" She indicated the adjacent chair.

"There is no need, Captain" replied Tuvok, in his usual formal manner. "I just wished to let you know that all security measures are in place for tonight's function. I noted in your last update however, that the Denari delegation has requested a tour of the ship, so I have arranged for an escort of four personnel from my team"

The captain raised her hand. "Tuvok, I don't think all that will be necessary. I don't want these people to think that they are under suspicion – not when they're our guests"

Tuvok looked as if he were going to protest, but the Captain cut him off.

"Don't worry" she added quickly. "I won't be giving them free reign of the ship either. Chakotay, B'Elanna and I will be accompanying them on their tour before dinner, and we'll keep a close eye on them."

"That should be…sufficient" replied Tuvok.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'd better get ready. I'll see you at Transporter Room one, 19:00 hours".

"Yes, Captain"

Tuvok turned and left the room. Janeway re-thought her decision to not bother with Tuvok's suggestion, then dismissed it. It paid to be cautious, but she didn't want to offend their guests.

Besides,_ Voyager_ had begun to attract quite a lot of attention from all quarters over the past couple of days, presumably as word of their arrival spread throughout the station. The sleek ship now drew a small but steady group of onlookers near the docking entry, and various crew members had reported being stopped and questioned by passers by who recognised them as Starfleet personnel. The story of their journey alone through the Delta quadrant also appeared to be a source of interest. A journey which, if all went well at tonight's function, they would be continuing by tomorrow.

The Captain suddenly realised that, even though the past few days had brought a welcome rest and relief for both herself and the crew, they were still far from home. And still very much alone.

She stood silently for a moment before pulling herself out of her thoughts, and beginning to change before dinner.

_---oOo---_

Some time later, Janeway stood in front of the mirror in her quarters, when the door chimed once more. This time, it was Chakotay. She invited him in.

"Ready for a long night?" she asked

"Ready as always" he replied, somewhat dispiritedly.

Janeway sensed his mood, and took it from the look Chakotay gave her that he wasn't at his most comfortable at diplomatic functions. Though they were a regular part of life for any Starfleet officer, Chakotay wasn't exactly regular Starfleet, despite his integration into her crew. She figured that diplomacy probably wasn't high on the Marquis agenda.

The Captain replaced her comb. "Come on" she said with a smile, starting for the door "Let's get this over with"

"You do realise" she said to Chakotay a short while later, as they strolled along the corridor towards the turbolift "that I should probably let you take the lead in this function tonight"

Chakotay turned his head, a quizzical look on his face as they reached the lift. Janeway requested Transporter Room One, and then turned back to Chakotay.

"Well, these Denari clans are like the Marquis in many ways" she explained. "A loose-knit group, drawn together by a common goal, with little need for the large administration or formality of Starfleet. Each group acts independently of the others, but they are able to combine and assist each other when the need arises".

"Well since you put it that way"

"C'mon" said the Captain, nodding her head as the doors opened to reveal the corridor once more. "I promise it won't be that bad" They headed into the Transporter room.

"They are ready when you are, Captain", indicated the transporter technician on duty. "Two groups of six to transport". Janeway noted that B'Elanna had joined them as requested.

"OK" indicated the Captain. "Energise"

The transporter activated, and six figures shimmered into view. What appeared to be the eldest of the group stepped off the transporter pad first. Kathryn stepped forward to meet him.

"Greetings, I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship _Voyager_. I'd like to welcome you aboard my ship".

"Thank you captain" responded the Denari. "I am Suran, of the Clan of Dengul"

Janeway indicated Chakotay and B'Elanna, and made further introductions. The Denari leader did likewise with his group. Within another minute the rest of the Denari party had been beamed aboard.

The transporter room was now becoming crowded, with twelve Denari plus Starfleet officers and crew. This function seemed less like a diplomatic party and more like a globetrotting tour group, the Captain thought to herself. However in the last few days aboard the Freeport station, Janeway had learned that the Denari preferred to conduct business as an extended family group, and it seemed diplomatic functions were no exception.

She breathed a long sigh – this was going to be a long night. She only hoped the outcome would make it worthwhile.

"Well, if we can begin our tour of the ship?" asked the captain.

There were several nods of agreement. Suran, indicated with a gesture that the Captain should lead the way. She did.

An hour later, the group finally entered the mess hall. The tour had taken them first through Sickbay and Main Engineering – a regular route that some _Voyager_ crew had nicknamed the "3D Tour" for "Doctors, Diseases and Di-Lithium". The delegation had seemed to thoroughly appreciate the opportunity to study the ship, and so the Captain had also treated them to a look at the main shuttle bay and Astrometrics, before finally heading for the mess hall.

There the remaining bridge officers were waiting, as were tables lined with food representing both dishes from Federation worlds, and local Delta Quadrant fare. Following a short speech by the Captain, the two groups began to eat.

Janeway soon found herself engaged in conversation with Chakotay again.

"Well - so far, so good"

"Hmmm" mused Chakotay. "They certainly were impressed by _Voyager_. A couple of them seemed to want to spend all day in Engineering"

The captain laughed. "It was all I could do to move them on before they started pulling panels off the walls"

"Yeah, what it is with all the excitement around engineering anyway?" The Captain and Chakotay turned as B'Elanna interjected. "Take ordinary people down there and they turn into awestruck cadets"

The captain looked away again and scanned the mess hall. It certainly appeared that the Denari delegates were enjoying themselves, and some were now intermingling with the crew. Over by the window, Seven and the Doctor were engaged in deep conversation. Meanwhile Neelix, flushed at the prospect of catering for a diplomatic function, appeared to be eagerly explaining the recipe behind one of his feature dishes to anyone who would listen.

The Captain heard Chakotay mention something about a past mission, and was about to turn back to listen when Tom tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me Captain"

"Yes, what is it Tom?" she replied. "Is everything OK?"

"Sure" he replied. "Captain, Harry and I have been talking to one of the Denari for a while, and…well, he's got some information that may interest us"

"Well, Mr Paris – lead the way" replied Janeway.

Tom headed over to another corner of the mess hall, where Harry Kim was engaged in discussion with a middle-aged Denari male. From her initial observation, Harry appeared excited about something.

"Captain" said Tom, "this is Mondar. Mondar, I believe you already know our Captain?"

"Indeed I do", he replied.

"Please join us" Harry added.

"So" announced the Captain. "What is it that has you dragging me away from Mr Neelix's fine cuisine?"

It was Mondar spoke up

"Captain, your two young crewmen here have been telling me the story of your journey through our part of the galaxy, and of your desire to reach your home world". He paused. Tom and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Well, it so happens that I know this part of space quite well, and I may be able to help"

Mondar indicated a bulky PADD-like device of local origin, which Harry eagerly took and passed to the Captain.

"It shows a region of space about four light years from here. We discovered the phenomena" - he indicated the screen – "about two years ago. It appears roughly once every 60 days."

The captain, Harry and Tom exchanged glances.

"We've been able to detect some communications from time to time, which we believe to be emanating from the other side" Mondar added, but the captain barely heard his last sentence. She was still staring at the video projection on the screen of the Denari PADD, apparently taken at the coordinates the Denari had mentioned.

A video projection which showed the unmistakable form - of a wormhole.


End file.
